Floating boom systems that are used for turbidity control, sediment containment, or contaminant containment, whether oil spill booms or debris booms, all have a common problem. If there is a need to provide ingress into and/or egress from a restricted region within a body of water, the floating boom systems lack the physical characteristics to allow partial temporary opening of the boom system to allow for movement of such traffic. By way of example, the need for traffic may come from the movement of sediment handling barges to transport their sediment load from a dredge area within the confines of the boom system to a location outside the boom system; or from the need to allow for frequent boat traffic when the boom system separates a mooring basin from the open body of water. Similar situations can be presented at water-intake structures where the boom system acts to filter water taken into the intake structures, but where the waterfront layout at the structure includes waterside loading/unloading facilities and access to the facilities is required for continued operation of the structure. Thus, a need exists for a boom system that is able to allow partial, temporary opening of the boom for movement of boat traffic.
The present invention is intended to overcome these and other deficiencies in the art.